Aquamarine
by crazyblaine
Summary: Lapis is forced to flee from her Malachite fusion and washes up helplessly on the beach outside the temple, and Pearl is the one to find her. Can the Gems and Steven help Lapis learn to trust fusion again? **SOME UPDATED CHAPTERS DUE TO THE STEVENBOMB**. Eventual PearlXLapis, some Jaspis, Garnet, Stevonnie, Pearl/Rose (lamenting).
1. Under the sea

_Aquamarine_

 _by savanaugh_

 _A/N: So I might be writing more and more fanfiction lately, I'm going to try my best at least. Anyway, I LOVE Lapis Lazuli, and my birthstone is Aquamarine, so I HAD to find another canon gem that if they fused with Lapis they might make it, and Pearl was my best bet- after all, pearls are naturally occurring in the ocean, and if her and Lapis's color schemes blended, they would have a nice light blue color like Aquamarine! Voila! Please enjoy the story, folks._

 _DISCLAIMER: Steven Universe and all associated entities, etc., a property of Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network. This story is a work of fiction._

 _SUMMARY: Lapis in forced to flee from her Malachite fusion and washes up helplessly on the beach outside the temple, and Pearl is the one to find her. Can the Gems and Steven help Lapis learn to trust fusion again?_

 **CHAPTER ONE: UNDER THE SEA**

Jasper grunted under the weight of this blasted planet's ocean. She tugged at her chains for the millionth time, only for the millionth reaction to happen again- nothing. This was infuriating- how was this- this BRAT stronger than SHE, JASPER, a born and bred buff buff cheeto puff?! Hadn't the little green dorito chip said the Lazuli's gem was cracked not more than a little while ago? How did it heal? Rose Quartz looked much too weak to be doing that sort of thing these days!

She screeched in frustration. "I will NOT be defeated, you little punk! You hear me? You can't keep us here forever, or we'll both be shattered into god damned shards!" The only response was a slight ripple in the water. Didn't this half-breed know that the cluster could hatch any second? Or had she been trapped on this planet too long to know about the impending doomsday? The latter seemed likely, considering she had the intention of 'staying on this miserable planet together' for an indefinite amount of time.

Jasper pulled and pulled but there was no give, not even a little. This was unbearably embarrassing. What would Yellow Diamond say? Stars, she was going to die here, she realized. "NO!" There was no way she, Jasper, would face the end this soon into her life! She hadn't lived and fought so many wars for so many thousands of years just to be shattered in captivity of some weak little blue gem!

"ARGH!" She delved into her signature whirlwind spiral attack move, attempting to burrow into the earth of the Earth. THIS time, the chains hadn't been expecting that, and gave a fraction of a fraction of an inch. Jasper grinned evilly, and tried again, going and spinning harder…. a fraction more gave …. spinning more…. and then… CRACK!

"Hehe… heeeheee… hahaa… YES!" Jasper breathed heavily, chest heaving. She looked down at her wrists, rubbed raw from the chains. But they were, nonetheless, chain-free. A grin so full of malice and arrogance composed her countenance it makes me physically ill to write about. She began her ascent to the surface, all the while keeping an eye out for the watery brat, who appeared to have scurried away as soon as she realized she was losing control. COWARD! No matter, she was still ignorant about the cluster.

And on the other hand, Jasper was getting the hell out of dodge to go up to Yellow Diamond on Homeworld and get this wretched thing over with. Breaking the surface of the ocean, she breathed in a nice big gulp of unnecessary air- she was a gem, remember? She didn't need air to breathe. It was still pleasant anyways, especially after so long under water. She spat into the salty mixture, a final 'fuck you' to the place, and began swimming with her powerful strokes to the nearest shore. She chuckled as the thought crossed her mind that there would be no shores soon anyway.

* * *

Pearl kicked a tiny rock out of the way grumpily as she walked down the beachfront. She was in a grumpy mood because she JUST found out that Peridot and Garnet had attempted fusion, and when Pearl confronted Garnet about it, they had gotten into an argument. "Ugh." she grumbled, kicking up rocks here and there into the water with a semi-satisfying sploosh. Pearl had only been worried because Peridot had like, JUST pledged allegiance to the Crystal Gems, and it wasn't entirely certain she could be trusted. What was even more infuriating, not that Pearl would ever admit it, was that Garnet was still weary about forming Sardonyx with Pearl, and yet, she would just FUSE willy-nilly with the annoying little triangular gem! Garnet accused Pearl of being distrustful and jealous. That was the last straw. Steven had tried to play peacekeeper, and persuaded Pearl to go take a walk to clear her mind, and they would talk it through in the morning. Pearl wasn't finding this particularly helpful.

She took a deep breath and scratched her head. If only Rose were here, she would know what to do… but Rose was here, in the form of Steven, and Steven knew vaguely what needed to be done, and Pearl was so proud of him! She looked up at the sunset over the ocean and found peace in the beauty. Her heart swelled up and she knew Rose would have loved this, just as she had loved everything else on this planet.

In the distance, a faint shimmering caught Pearl's eyes, and she squinted to get a better look, halting her walking. It was just some water splashing about… it was getting closer, slowly. She listened hard. A faint sound that was like… a voice… shouting… "Help!"

Immediately Pearl jumped in the water without a second thought, swimming quickly and gracefully towards what she presumed was a poor drowning human. "Help, please!" pleaded the voice- it was a girl's voice, Pearl noted, and as she got closer, she heard that it was exhausted. They must have been lost at sea for hours, by the sound of it!

Pearl reached the struggling girl in the blue dress and wrapped her arm around her. "It's okay, I've got you, are you alright?"

Their eyes met and both widened in surprise.

"You!"

"YOU?!"


	2. Lapis and the Crystal Gems

_AQUAMARINE_

 _by savanaugh_

 _A/N: Please review! Thanks for the favorites/follows so far! :3_

 _Disclaimer: Steven Universe and all related characters/entities etc. are property of Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network._

CHAPTER TWO: LAPIS AND THE CRYSTAL GEMS

Steven frowned. He was worried about Pearl. She had been gone for hours; the sun had just set. Surely Garnet didn't upset her that much? Maybe she had… fusion was really important.

"Don't worry, Steven. Pearl will be back soon." said Garnet, who had just walked in. Her hair was wet. Noticing his puzzled glance, she explained "I was underwater again looking for Malachite to pass the time. Nothing yet," she added, seeing how he perked up. He slumped back down again.

"I hope Lapis is okay… "

Garnet smiled and patted his head. "She's stronger than me, and I'm stronger than Jasper. She'll be fine. We just need to warn her about the cluster. That way she can unfuse, and maybe help us."

Steven thought for a minute. Would Lapis help them defeat the cluster? After all, she never really believed in earth… but she helped take down Jasper! Did her loyalty now lie with the Crystal Gems, who had imprisoned her in the mirror? That reminded him. He looked up at Garnet tentatively, having the feeling this was another one of those "We'll tell you when you're older" sort of things.

"Uh, Garnet? Why… why was Lapis trapped in the mirror?"

Garnet stiffened. And sighed, running a hand through her hair. "That's a story for when you're older, Steven."

Yep, he knew it. Dang. He knew it would be pointless to try and pry more information out, so he nodded.

"I need to go now, Steven. I'll talk to you later, okay? I love you."

Steven blushed. "Oh, you." Garnet laughed and hugged him. She walked away into the temple, the door fusing shut behind her.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Lapis Lazuli- what on Earth are you doing here- where is Jasper? Oh my gosh did you two unfuse? Where is she? I need to get back to the temple right away, Steven could be in danger- oh, stars-"

"Shut up a second, you Pearl! How… how did you find me?" breathed Lapis, too exhausted to do much but sit on the ground, looking defeated.

Pearl swelled up indignantly. "I'll have you know that no matter who 'you used to be,' I will not allow myself to be undermined as 'you Pearl.' Thank you very much." she said curtly, folding her arms. Lapis rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, fine. No big deal. I don't see why I should address you with respect when you literally aided in my imprisonment on this blasted planet for thousands of years!"

Pearl raised her hands up. "Hang on a minute, I had no part of that, and I'm sure Rose Quartz didn't either-"

At the sound of that gem's named Lapis struggled to her bare feet, raising a shaking finger at Pearl. "You- you belonged to her, didn't you? You were her Pearl!" she accused.

Pearl blushed and sputtered, "Well, I-"

"So how could you not have known? She was there, Rose Quartz was there- she imprisoned me, and you were her Pearl! Pearls are always by their masters' sides, you MUST have been there! At the galaxy warp, all those years ago." Lapis seethed furiously. "When… when my gem was cracked, and everything I ever had was taken away from me… She said she was being merciful by placing me in the mirror… But I withered away in there, just like one of your Earth plants she was so fond of!"

"Please, I- I didn't know the gem in that mirror was sentient- I was simply entrusted with the mirror, I was told it would just show me events from gem history- I… I'm really sorry." whispered Pearl. "I never… I never expected Rose to do something like this…" Tears welled up in her eyes. "Why didn't she tell me? Why did she keep such vital secrets from me?"

"Who cares!" spat Lapis. "It doesn't matter any more, we've both been betrayed by her- whoop de do! At least we have something in common!"

Pearl's heart broke… Lapis Lazuli was correct. Rose… was not who Pearl thought Rose was. She felt a tear roll down her cheek. She sniffed and wiped it away. There were things that needed to be done.

"Look, Lapis- we ought to get you back to the temple. That way we can talk."

"No way am I going back there! Last time I was in there, don't you remember? Your permafusion tried to hide me away again from Steven!"

"I understand that you're angry, but we need a plan of action- only you know which direction Jasper took off to, and there's a lot we know now about why they came back in the first place that you need to know-"

"Not happening. You're lucky that I'm so worn out right now, else I'd be flying away."

As she said this, Lapis swayed on her feet and stumbled a little bit. Pearl caught her. Lapis looked away in shame. She was being helped by a Pearl, the Pearl of her most despised gem- well, second most, to Jasper. "I can walk myself," she mumbled, attempting to wrench away, but only managed to fall over some before Pearl stopped her from hitting the ground.

"Lapis," Pearl said in an unusually soft tone. "Let me- let us, I mean- help you. Steven is at the temple, don't you want to see him again?"

Lapis looked up with wary eyes. "Okay. But, I only talk to Steven. In private."

Pearl didn't protest; it would be like Peridot was at first- oh, snap. Peridot!

"Oh, um yes, of course. Let's go." she said hastily, wrapping Lapis's arm around her shoulder. Lapis recoiled from the touch, but was too weak to escape.

Pearl bit her lip as they slowly made their way along the beach to the temple. Hopefully she could keep Peridot and Lapis away from each other until this mess was straightened out- and dang it, Garnet- she was still so mad at her, but there were more important things going on at the current moment- "Oh, boy." said Pearl under her breath. Things were about to get very crazy indeed in Beach City.


	3. Explanations

AQUAMARINE

by savanaugh

A/N: Thank you to that anonymous reader who reviewed my story, I really appreciate it :3 I will be sure to continue having fun writing this story.

IMPORTANT: I WILL BE UTILIZING SEVERAL THEORIES I HAVE WATCHED ON YOUTUBE, MOSTLY BY YOUTUBE USER AJ UNIVERSE. THESE MAY BE COMPLETELY INCORRECT. REMEMBER THAT THIS STORY IS A WORK OF FICTION.

Disclaimer: Steven Universe and all related characters, entities, etc. are property of Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network.

CHAPTER THREE: EXPLANATIONS

Steven sat on the edge of the balcony outside his house, legs swinging in the cool night's air. He sighed. Things were very confusing right now, and he wished they could go back to being simple, like when his biggest problem was when Cookie Cat went out of business. Thinking of food made his stomach rumble, so he slid off the edge to go inside and get a snack. He was halfway to the door, day dreaming of a nice bowl of soup he could maybe even get Peridot to try, when movement down the coast caught his eye. He recognized that pointy hair immediately.

"Pearl!" he cried, and ran down the stairs. He jogged for a minute towards the gem, but slowed down as he saw it was twice the size of Pearl. His heart grew cold... "Oh no, it's another cluster monster!"

But of course it wasn't, he realized, and his previously cold heart exploded into warmth and tears fell down his cheek. It was Pearl and Lapis! "Oh, boy! Lapis! Pearl!" A huge grin stretched across his face and he ran as fast as he could to the pair, throwing his arms around them, laughing and crying at the same time.

Pearl smiled slightly and placed her hand on Steven's head. Lapis blinked and looked down, and for the first time in weeks, she felt herself smile.

"Hi, Steven." she said, hugging him back. Pearl let go of her, and she fell to her knees, eye level with Steven. He held her hands, sniffling.

"Oh, man, Lapis! You're here- you're unfused! Oh my gosh, did you beat Jasper?"

Lapis felt her face color. "N-no, not exactly, Steven… but let's worry about that later, how have you been? I hope you didn't worry too much about me."

Steven bit his lip- he really REALLY wanted to ask what happened with Jasper, but a discrete shake of the head from Pearl made him hold his tongue. "I- I've been okay! We've been really busy with stuff lately- you probably don't know about it, so I'm really glad we found you in time!"

"Let's go into the temple," interrupted Pearl. "It's dark and cool out, and we ought to explain to Garnet and Amethyst-"

"NO." stated Lapis firmly. "I want nothing to do with those two. I'll be staying with Steven until I recover and everything."

Steven looked up to her with big doe eyes. "Really? You mean it? We can have slumber parties and watch TV and play video games- and just wait until you meet Connie, I'm sure you two are gonna get along soooo great! This will be so much fun! Oh Pearl, can't Lapis and I sleep alone in the temple tonight? I promise we won't make a mess-"

"Steven! Don't get too far ahead of yourself- I need to at least let... Garnet know what's going on- Lapis, I won't force you to interact with them, but I don't think they knew you were in the mirror either, and you seem to be tolerating my presence, couldn't you just-"

"I know for a fact the permafusion was there." she snipped.

Steven frowned. "But Garnet's really nice once you get to know her!" Pearl couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. Steven pretended not to notice.

Lapis sighed and looked at him. "Steven, you need to understand something about gems- we fight a lot. And we're really good at hiding things. You're young, so I don't want to overload you with ugly facts, so how about we just go and - and do that thing you said. Supper party? What is that?"

Steven laughed, choosing not to worry too much about the darker things she had just stated. "Come on, I'll show you!"

Pearl put her hand up. "Wait a minute, let me just go tell Garnet." She swiftly climbed the steps and went into the house.

Steven and Lapis exchanged worried glances. He hugged her again.

"Don't worry; I won't let them imprison you any more."

Lapis felt a single tear roll down her cheek and she hugged Steven tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

Pearl knocked on the temple door. "Garnet! Garnet, open up, it's urgent-"

"Would you quit your banging, jeez! I'm trying to do something here." complained Peridot, who was attempting to take apart Steven's video game console.

Pearl cursed under her breath and walked over to Peridot. "Look, Peridot, you need to leave the temple for tonight- don't ask any questions, just do it!"

The smol green gem snorted. "And why in the world would I do THAT? I am perfectly comfortable right where I- woah! Put me down! Stop it! Let go of me, Pearl! Arrrgh-!"

"I don't have time for your shenanigans- time out!" scolded Pearl, yanking Peridot by the arm and tossing her into the bathroom. Peridot landed in the tub.

"OW! YOU PEBBLE, I'LL CRUSH YOU- COME HERE-"

"Goodnight." muttered Pearl, slamming the door shut and locking it from the outside.

"Pearl?" came a British accented voice from the main room. "Where did you go? I heard yelling."

"Yes, well- we have a bit of an- unexpected guest." said Pearl, walking over to her cohort.

Although you couldn't see it, Garnet raised an eyebrow. She opened Sapphire's eye and looked into the immediate future. Her hands tightened into a fist. Pearl opened her mouth to elaborate and Garnet held up a hand to silence her. "I already know what you're going to say. I get it. I'll be in my room for the night. Come get me if she even tries so much as to lay her hand on a hair on Steven's head."

Pearl didn't mention that that already happened, and just nodded instead. She bit her lip and then opened her mouth as if she were going to say something, but Garnet raised her hand to silence her again. "I already know what you're going to say. It's okay."

Garnet turned around and walked into her room without another word.

"Oh, brother." sighed Pearl.

She walked back outside and leaned over the edge of the balcony. Steven and Lapis were talking to each other in hushed tones, and Lapis giggled all of a sudden. Pearl didn't know why that made her blush. She cleared her throat.

"Ahem- the others will be out of sight for the night. You can come in now."

"Yay! Come on Lapis- let me show you my video games- let's come right up here into my room and- WHAT?! Who took apart my console?!" he demanded, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Pearl just told him, "Don't worry- we'll put it back together in the morning, okay? Just get comfortable and go to bed."

"Awww, but Pearl, it's only 9:00!"

"No buts, mister. Bedtime."

Lapis frowned. "What is bed time?"

Steven laughed. "Don't worry- there are a lot of explanations I've got for you!"


	4. Slumber Party

_AQUAMARINE_

 _by savanaugh_

 _A/N: Thank you to FF user ffure21 for your review, and that anonymous reader! I really appreciate feedback, it makes my day so much better! Don't worry about the fast update, enjoy it while it lasts- I am notorious for binge writing and then going silent for several weeks, only to repeat. Sweats nervously. Anyway, enjoy! :3_

 _DISCLAIMER: This story is a work of fiction. Steven Universe and all related characters, entities etc. are property of Cartoon Network and Rebecca Sugar_.

 **CHAPTER 4: SLUMBER PARTY**

Lapis felt like her head was about to explode with all of this new information. Human technology was crazy! "What is this?" she asked, holding up Steven's blanket. Steven smiled and took it from her.

"It's called a blanket! Sometimes at night, when I sleep, I get cold, and so I wrap myself up all snuggly like this-" he wrapped himself up all snuggly- "and it helps me get warmed up!"

Lapis was confused. "Why would you need to warm up? You're a gem, right? Your body isn't real, it's just a physical projection. It has no real temperature, or at least, any way to feel the outside temperature."

Steven perked up. "Oooh! Story time for Lapis! Hang on, let me get snacks!" He climbed down from his bed to run over to the kitchen to grab some popcorn. He stuck it in the microwave and thought to himself, 'I hope Lapis likes it with extra butter!'

Two minutes and several pops later, Steven carried a piping hot bag of popcorn and some water back up to his spot. Lapis had snuggled herself up in the blanket and looked at him. "Am I doing it right?"

Steven laughed. "You remind me of the time I tried to teach Pearl how to sleep."

Lapis cocked her head, similar to that of a little lost puppy. "Sleep?"

"I'll tell you about that later, when we get really tired. But right now I'll tell you about why I need blankets, and food! Speaking of food, I brought some."

He opened the bag of popcorn and poured it into her bowl. "Here, try some! You know how to eat, right?"

She nodded. She had seen humans do it before, but had never actually tried it herself. She took a small popcorn, and tentatively put it in her mouth. She moved her jaw up and down like she had seen so long ago, and then she spit it out. "Now what?"

Steven had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. "That's not how you eat, well- I mean- not completely. After you chew it, you're supposed to swallow it- like, let it go inside you. Try again!"

Lapis looked repulsed. "Ew! What happens next? Does it just stay in your body forever? That's disgusting!"

"I agree!" came Pearl's voice. She climbed up and wrung her hands shyly. "I was wondering- would you mind if I joined your party?"

Before Lapis could protest Steven said, "Not at all! Come sit, Pearl- you can sit right next to Lapis!" Steven was super happy that he had another guest at his party. "Want some popcorn?"

Her nose wrinkled in distaste. "I'll pass, thank you." she shuddered. "Eating is so… gross."

Lapis nodded. "I mean, it tasted okay. I just hate the idea of it being, you know, inside me."

This wording made Pearl blush. Lapis was pretty innocent to innuendo, considering gems didn't reproduce like that, and she hadn't spent enough time around humans, let alone adult ones.

"Aww, okay. More for me then!" Steven stuffed a handful in his mouth. "Buttery!" he said, voice muffled. Lapis laughed.

"You look like that little animal- the- ship monk? Is that it?" she said, trying to remember.

"Chipmunk," corrected Pearl. "I agree. Steven, chew with your mouth closed, it's impolite."

"Okay, mom." joked Steven, swallowing down what was in his mouth.

"So. Why do you need this again?" asked Lapis, tugging on the blanket wrapped around her. She was genuinely curious.

"I'm only half gem!" declared Steven proudly, lifting up his shirt to show off his gem. "I'm half human! My mom gave up her physical form so I could be here!" he explained, taking another handful of popcorn.

Lapis raised her eyebrows in surprise and confusion, intrigued. "What? How is that possible? Are you like, a fusion between a human and a gem?"

"Sort of, except I'm like a fusion where one of the people in the fusion stays outside the fusion- that's my dad, he's awesome- so yeah. That's why I need blankets and food- my human half needs it!"

"That makes sense. But you also can use your gem powers, right? Like how you healed my gem. Thank you again for that!" added Lapis.

Steven blushed. "Aw, it was nothing. I have the feeling you would do the same for me, if you could."

Lapis found herself surprised that she agreed. Although she didn't know much about Steven, she had taken such a liking to him more than almost anyone she had ever met.

Pearl found herself discreetly staring at Lapis. She must have been a relatively high-ranked gem on Homeworld- after all, she was stronger than Jasper and Garnet, and had maintained such power with a damaged gem nonetheless! That was amazing. She was so strong… and like always, Pearl felt herself drawn to those stronger than her, even if, like Lapis, they didn't look it. Lapis actually looked quite petite and beautiful, effervescent, even.

'Why am I thinking these things? If it wasn't for Lapis Lazuli, the Homeworld gems might not have come back to Earth in the first place!' Pearl scolded herself. There were more important things to be doing than a slumber party… but it was fun, watching Steven explain things to this new ally- hopefully she was an ally, anyway- and she couldn't bring herself to walk away.

"...Pearl? Did you hear what I said?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Steven, I just zoned out. What did you say?" asked Pearl, shaking her head to get back into reality.

"I asked you what my mom was like right before I was born."

Pearl felt her face heat up. "Well, I mean- why are we discussing this? Can't we talk about something else? I'm sure Lapis would prefer not to hear about her alleged imprisoner."

"Alleged, my gem." muttered Lapis quietly, so Steven wouldn't hear.

Pearl ignored this. "Here, why don't we talk about your dad's music? Go get your turntable and his records, and we'll tell Lapis about his music." she suggested. Steven gasped.

"That's a GREAT IDEA PEARL! And then we can teach her instruments and she can play in a band with us- oh hang on, I'll be right back!" he scurried off to find the aforementioned items, leaving Lapis and Pearl alone momentarily. There was an awkward silence.

"I can see that you really care about him." said Pearl softly.

Lapis said nothing.

Pearl sighed. "I hope we can be allies. Maybe friends. For Steven's sake."

This softened Lapis's expression. "...Maybe. Give me time."

They made eye contact, Pearl's eyes serious.

"There might not be much time left on this planet."


End file.
